Apparatus for assembling strip material



April 7, 1931. E. F. MAAS E'r AL.

APPARATUS' FOR ASSEMBLING` STRIP MATERIAL original Filed Jan.

17, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jn/uente@ Elon F. Mans akanne1,

April 7, 1931.

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E. F. MAAS ET AL APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING STRIP MATERAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan.

E100 F. NMS Roberk W. Snyder WTV" Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELOV P. MAAS AND ROBERT W. SNYDER, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE GOOD- YEAR TIRE t RUBBER COMPANY, OF

AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING STRIP MATERIAL Original application filed January 17, 1928, Serial No. 247,330. Divided and this application filed March This invention relates to laminated fabrics and it has particular relation to a novel method and appartus for assembling the constituent parts of breaker strip material for use in the construction of pneumatic tire casings.

This application is a division of application Serial Number QASBO, filed January 17, 1928.

It is customary in the manufacture of breaker strip material to remove strips of fabric individually from a bias cutting inachine and place them in so-called books, in which condition they are transported to other devices for further treatment. rThe abovementioned books comprise a plurality of sheets of liner material bound together along one side and are adapted to receive a single bias cut strip between each pair of sheets. Obviously, much labor is involved in thus transporting the bias cut strips from one apparatus to another.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus whereby the bias cut pieces may be united into a continuous strip, one or more layers of cushioning material applied to the strip, and the strip wound with an interposed liner into a roll, allin one continuous operation.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus whereby a plurality of fabric pieces moving vin edge to edge relation upon a. support may be united and drawn from the support as a continuous strip. The invention also involves certain novel features of construction and arrangements of elements which will be fully pointed out hereinafter.

For a better understanding of the invention7 reference may now be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the disclosure, in which;

Figure 1 is a side-elevational view of an aggro-upment of instrumentalities embodying the novel features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 8 is a detail view, upon a larger scale, of a strip guiding means.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings a Serial ll'o. 347,908.

frame l0, which supports various parts of the apparatus, is disposed adjacent a frame of a horizontal bias cutting machine 13. Since the bias cutting machine 13 is of conventional form, only that portion thereof which coacts with the other instrumentalities of the apparatus is herein shown.

lis usual, the bias cutting machine 13 embodies means for severing a strip of fabric on a bias into a plurality of pieces 1d which are conveyed in edge to edge relation along a table 15 of the machine. A pair of bracket elements 16, secured to and depending from respective frame members 17 and 18, rotatably support a pair of spaced guide rollers 19. 'lhe axes of the rollers 19 extend at right angles to the lines of severance 21 between adjacent pieces l-it in order that after the pieces have been united at their ends, as indicated at Q2, to form a continuous strip 23, the rollers will engage alternately with the strip as the latter is raised from the table 15.

A guide member 24 of U-shape depends from the member 17 midway between the bracket elements 16 and guides the strip Q3 over a freely rotatable roller 25 journalled in brackets 26 depending from the frame members 17 andv 18. From the roller 25 the strip 23 passes under an idle roller 27 and over a power driven roller 28 to a calender machine 29 which may be bolted to the saine bed plate 31 that supports the bias cutter 125.

The roller 28 is carried by a shaft 32 journalled in depending brackets 38 secured to frame members Sel and 35, and has a sprocket wheel 3G mounted on an end thereof for driving the shaft. The roller 2T is supported in a plane below the roll 28, by arms 37 depend-` ing from the frame members 34- and i'espectively, so that the strip 23 is caused to engage a. large portion of the surface of the roll 28.

A motor 3S, bolted to the bed plate 31, has a pinion 39 keyed to its shaft which meshes with an idler gear 41 mounted on a stub shaft Ll2 secured to the frame d3 of the calender 29. The gear lil meshes with a gear la keyed to the main driving roller 45 of the calender.

The calender machine 9.9 may be of any well known type which is capable of applyllll ing a layer of cushioning material to one or both sides of a fabric strip fed therethrough. As shown, rotation of rollers 46 and 47, having a batch 48 of cushioning material disposed therebetween, serves to form a continuous layer of material upon the roll 46 which is progressively applied to the strip 23 as the latter is fed between the roller 46 and a roller 49 mounted directly upon the shaft 45. ln like manner layer of cushioning material may be applied to the lower side of the fabric from a batch of rubber calendered between the roller 45 and a fourth roller 46a.

A sprocket wheel 51, keyed to the shaft 45, drives an endless chain 52 which passes over idler sprockets 53 mounted on stub shafts 54 secured to the frame 10, over sprocket 28 to drive the shaft and over sprocket 55 to drive a shaft 56 journalled in bearings .57 mounted on the frame members 34 and 35. rthe chain 52 also passes over an idler wheel 58 rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 59 which is adjustably carried by a slotted bracket 6l secured to the rframe 10.

Roller carrying brackets 62, secured to portions of the frame 1G and to the frame of the calender 29, serve to guide the strip 23 to and from the calender 29. The strip 23 passes from the last bracket 62 to a convey-or 63, which carries it to the wind-up mechanism 64. As shown, the conveyor 63 comprises an endless band 60 trained about a roller 65 adj ustably journalled in the frame 10 and a roller 66 carried by a shaft 67 ournalled in bearings 68 secured to the frame 10.

A sprocket Wheel 69, keyed to the shaft 6&7, is driven through the agency of an endless chain 71 from a speed control device 72 which is, in turn, driven by an endless chain 73 engaging a sprocket wheel 7 4 keyed to the shaft 56. Any 'desired form of speed controlling device may be employed. The form shown in the accompanying drawing comprises a pair of oppositely tapered rollers 75 and an endless belt 76 passing about the two rollers so that movement of the belt 76 longitudinally of the rollers75 will vary the speed of travel of the chain 71.

ln order that the operation of the complete apparatus may be continuous, a pair of like wind-up devices 77 are provided. Each of these devices comprises an upright member 78 secured at its lower end of the frame- 10, which supports at its upper end a shaft 79 upon which a roll .81 of liner material 82 may be rotatably mounted. An arm 83, pivotally connected, as indicated at 84, to the frame member 78, rotatably supports aroller which is adapted to be rotated by movement of the conveyor 63 to wind the cushion strip 23 and the liner 82 into a roll 86. `While one of the units 77 is operating, a new roll 81 may be positioned on and a full roll 86 may be removed from the other unit.

In practice, operators stand at each side of the table 15 of the bias cutter 13 to splice the ends of the pieces 14, in order that a continuous strip 23 may be fed by the roller 28 to the calender machine 29. From the calender the strip 23, to which one or more layers of cushioning material have been applied, is vguided to the conveyor 63 which carries it to the wind-up mechanism 64.

Although we have illustrated only one form which the invention may assume and have described in detail only a single application thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited, but that various minor modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

`What we claim is:

1. ln combination with a bias cutting machine having a horizontally disposed discharge table, a frame secured adjacent to the table, and means carried by the frame for guiding a strip of material longitudinally and continuously from the table to a point above and substantially midway between the sides of the table.

2. ln combination with a bias cutting machine having a horizontally disposed discharge table, a frame secured adjacent to the table, means carried by the frame for guiding a strip of material longitudinally and continuously from the table to a point above and substantially midway between the sides of the table, a calender secured to the frame and means for feeding the strip to the calender.

3. ln combination with a bias cutting machine having a horizontally disposed discharge table, a frame secured adjacent to the table, means carried by the frame for guiding a strip of material longitudinally and continuously from the table to a point above and substantially midway between the Vsides of the table, a calender secured to the frame, means for feeding the strip to the calender, and means for winding the calendered strip together with an interposed liner into a roll.

4. ln combination, a bias cutting mechanism having a horizontal table, a calender, a wind-up mechanism, means for feeding a strip of material longitudinally and directly from the table tothe calender and means for feeding the strip from'the calender to the wind-up mechanism.

5. In combination, a table for receiving bias cut strips of fabric in diagonally disposed relation with respect to the table, and means disposed in advance of the table for deiiecting and guiding thev strips substantially into longitudinal alignment with respect to the table, and means for carrying the strips away from the guiding means.

6. ln combination, a horizontally disposed table for receiving transversely cut strips from a bias cutting machine, a calender roll for continuously applying cushioning coatings to a continuous strip of fabric, and means disposed between the table and the calender for deflecting strips disposed diagonally upon the table into longitudinal alignment with Jthe table and the calender, and means for removing the strip from the calender.

7. In combination, a bias cutting machine, a table for receiving fabric strips severed by the machine, and means for continuously withdrawing the strips in end to end relation from the table and feeding them to a calender roll and a continuously driven belt for transporting the strips from the calender, driving means interconnecting the calender and t-he belt including means for adjusting the speed of the belt to correspond with the speed of rotation of the calender.

8. In combination, a bias cutting machine for supplying relatively short lengths of bias cut fabric, means for feeding strips in end to end relation to a calender roll and a belt for transporting the strips from the calender roll and the feeding means, the calender and the belt being provided with driving means whereby rotation of the calender causes continuous rotation of the feeding means and the belt, the driving means also including mechanism for regulating the speed of travel of the belt.

In Witness whereof, We have hereunto signed our names.

Signed atI Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, this l2 day of March,

ELOV F. MAAS. ROBERT W. SNYDER. 

